Personal Space
by CrowingShoopuf
Summary: Chouji never minded routine in his life, it meant he knew what to expect. A break in that routine, however, has an effect that is far less than desirable. InoShikaCho- OneShot.


It was a normal afternoon when Akimichi Chouji stood outside the door to his apartment, laden with the week's food supplies; just like any other average week

It was a normal afternoon when Akimichi Chouji stood outside the door to his apartment, laden with the week's food supplies; just like any other average week. Everything else seemed to be as he usually found it, too; the bright, glowing sun was starting to sink behind the ever-busy town of Konohagakure at this time of day, somewhat relieving its people of the sweltering summer heat. The colourful plants were all lined up alongside the path behind him, leading up the 'welcome to the InoShikaCho residence!' plague hanging from the wall in front of him, as always. Chouji never minded the routine in his life, up until now.

He had come across a rather recent aspect of 'routine' that was beginning to take lodging in his once peaceful home, one that involved the violent shouting that emanated from within.

Chouji's massive shoulders dropped as he sighed; Ino and Shikamaru were fighting again.

This would make the fifth argument since this time last week. He didn't know what they were fighting over this time, but he expected it to be something trivial; something that they would normally overlook.

Believe it or not, it had all been sparked over a pillow, from what he could tell. He had walked cheerfully around the side of his house with the shopping, like normal, and was shocked by the sound of aggravated shouting that he'd heard coming from inside. Dropping the bags, Chouji had rushed in to see what could possibly be wrong.

Dashing through the house towards the sound of the problem, he'd found them in their small living room. He'd only stood there, his towering form filling the doorway, for a second.

"_Here, you want it so much, Shika?! Then have it!"_

The quick-thinker had ducked out of instinct, and Chouji had ended up with a pillow to the face.

Once they'd realised that he was there, the two immediately stopped and apologised to the Akimichi, who had felt slightly bashful after that short-lived ordeal. However, his appearance had ultimately stopped them arguing but he wished the peace could have had more of a lasting effect.

They never argued around him, as if they were ashamed of it. It didn't seem that hard to empathise with; no one wanted to be caught clawing at the metaphorical throats of the people closest to them.

Chouji didn't know the reasons behind the squabbling, but he knew that he wanted it to stop. He'd asked Ino about it a few times, simply because Shikamaru always ended up leaving for a couple of hours and then returning as if it had never happened. She hadn't really explained much about it, and refused to discuss it when the third returned to the house.

They were all seventeen now, but the pair were beginning to act with emotions akin to those that were harboured when Team 10 was first formed, back when the pair had suddenly been thrown into a team with Ino, and were still getting to know each other.

To his surprise Iruka had noticed it too, inquiring as to whether there was a reason that Shikamaru had spent most of his teaching-free time in the Academy last week, helping him with reports and such.

It was in itself a fair point; the skinny genius was always half-heartedly complaining about having to spend most of his day working in the Academy with 'those damn ungrateful kids', as he put it.

Seeing as they wouldn't be straight with him, Chouji had just let them sort it out between themselves. He knew that if it was anything major, then at least one of them would have come to him, and he would have helped them sort it out. It had been down to them to solve the problem.

It was a different matter now that people had started noticing. No one knew anything of what happened within their home; it was their business and theirs alone. He'd welcomed the idea of sharing a house with not one, but _both _of the people he loved and the husky Ninja had come to value the effect that privacy had on their lives.

He knew that none out of the trio were ashamed of the 3-way relationship they managed to sustain; it was simply easier to show this kind of affection without people watching, and scrutinising.

Chouji couldn't have people feeling that they could get involved with their affairs. No one knew of most of what the three got up to, in the seclusion of their four walls. But if people picked up on the break in that routine, it could easily become troublesome. The InoShikaCho Residence wasn't secured at all, because it had no need to be. The people of Konoha left them alone simply because they had no reason to believe that there was anything to be found by surveying them, and that was how they liked it.

Chouji liked the small things in life, like being able to leave the curtains open when he left the house, and not having to worry about what might happen or who might be looking in.

And so, leaving all the shopping in the doorway, except for a bag of 'Peace-Making Chips', he quietly turned the smooth, wooden door handle, intent on getting to the bottom of the problems.

His large strides had only taken him as far as the low, patterned hallway before he bumped into Shikamaru. His eyes were looking towards the floor, his bony hands in his pockets. The black haired-Nin forced a smile across his lips when he saw his wild-haired friend looking at him with a concerned expression.

"Hey, Chouji, What took you so long?" He asked, with a bit too much cheer in his voice. He was still red in the face, despite acting like everything was fine and normal.

"I had to get the shopping," He answered, "Is it okay if I talk to you for a sec?"

I haven't got time Cho, I need to get back to the Academy to help Iruka; he's been really busy lately." He gestured behind him with a thumb, into the living room. Looking past his tied-back bush of spiky black hair, Chouji noticed the shadow of Ino's slender form strewn across the far wall of the living room.

Chouji knew what it meant; Shikamaru wanted him to sort out Ino first. Even when they were fighting, their Princess still came first.

"Well, that was what I wanted to speak to you about, actually." Chouji pressed.

"I'm sorry, Iruka needs me. Maybe later?" Shikamaru's urgent, pleading eyes met his as he spoke. It didn't take much to realise that his partner just wanted to get out of the way.

"Alright, I'll see you later then Shika."

"Thanks. Ino's in the living room, by the way." He stated as he hastily made his way out towards the bright sun, and off to the Academy.

A thought hit him.

"Shika-!"

Chouji flinched as an expected crash told him that the flustered Shinobi hadn't seen the shopping in the doorway during his escape.

"Uh, sorry Shikamaru!" the Akimichi called after him as Shikamaru picked himself up with a sulk and trudged around the corner, leaving the shopping flung about the cobbled path. He guessed that the flustered Nin could just do with some time to cool off, and so left the shopping where it was and turned his attention to Ino's angry, shaking shadow in the room ahead of him.

Clutching his Chips, Akimichi Chouji took a deep breath and quietly walked to the doorway of his spacious living room.

The heavy, crimson curtains had been swung closed, reluctantly allowing access to a small strip of the daylight in the centre, dividing the room from where the fabric had failed to overlap. The mood set by the colourful wallpaper had been dampened due to the lack of natural light, mulling everything into a darker, more depressed state than what Chouji would have liked to experience. The stout, wicker chairs had been knocked from their standing place and now found a somewhat unforeseen residence on their sides, partially highlighted by that solitary beam of light that just seemed to exaggerate the implications of the darkness.

The large, majestic sofa, just big enough for two thin teenagers and an Akimichi, sat silently against the wall facing the window. This time, it only harboured one of the three, an unusually quiet Yamanaka Ino.

Her hip-length blond hair was tied back messily with a thin blue ribbon; she'd also forgotten about her one-sided and extravagant fringe that was as much a part of the girl as any other aspect of her body. Chouji couldn't ever recall her forgetting her fringe: even when they slept, she still managed to keep it intact. Her dazzling blue, pupil-less eyes were hidden by closed eyelids and shaking fingers as she sat to the corner of the sofa, her head held in her trembling hands.

"Ino?" The soft, quiet calling of her name brought her head up slightly, a weak and fleeting smile fluttering across her lips as she looked in Chouji's direction.

"What's up, Cho?" She asked, despite the slight wavering in her voice. She had known that he was there due to the hint from his conversation with Shikamaru yet she spoke as if she was casually meeting him in the street.

"Ino, what have you and Shikamaru been fighting over? Will you please tell me what's wrong?" He asked, almost cursing himself for his blunt and seemingly straightforward approach.

The young Nin pulled herself together when she heard his concerned question, wiping the tears from her face and curling her trailing hair behind one ear. She shuffled on the sofa, rearranging herself into a more comfortable position, preparing herself for what she was about to say.

"The thing is, Chouji, I don't know." She muttered, as if ashamed that she couldn't give him a real answer.

"You don't know? What do you mean?"

Chouji was more than slightly puzzled by such a roundabout answer. He knew that Ino was normally revealed more when she spoke; it was Shikamaru that had the gift for word games.

He calmly strode towards the shadowed sofa, giving her some time to compose her thoughts. It would do no good to rush her or put her on the spot; he was there to try and help, not make things worse. Ino had her head propped up by her hands; Chouji guessed she might be brooding on her explanation.

As he reached the Sofa, however, her composure faltered. She clutched at Chouji's summer-themed clothes, pulling him towards her, and wrapped her thin arms around his sizeable waist. He put his large hand tenderly to the back of her head, stroking it down her lush, blond hair as he held her to his chest.

"I'm really worried, Cho, I keep fighting with Shika and I don't know why."

Her emotion ran freely through her muffled voice, alerting Chouji to the seriousness of the situation. He knew that Ino did get quite emotional at times, but that was normally over straightforward problems and they were resolved quickly with all three of their heads set on resolving it. This already held a more intricate meaning, from what the Akimichi could tell.

Chouji decided that asking what she meant wouldn't get him very far, and decided to work on piecing around it, instead.

"Well, what is it you two have been fighting over, My love?" He asked as he tried to sit down beside her. She wouldn't let him go, so he carefully twisted him around with her as he lowered himself onto the sofa. Ino scooted along the sofa, making her more comfortable, and rested her head gently against Chouji's right shoulder. He slid his muscled arm over her body, letting his fingers rest at the curve of her hip.

"It's been over really small things; things like the pillow, and the cup of sake he left on the edge of the table. It's only happened recently, starting from last week." He could tell she was struggling to explain herself; she wasn't really making herself clear enough for Chouji to draw much from it.

"He must be so upset, always being the one who leaves and backs down, sitting there alone at the Academy when I have you here to keep me together." Chouji returned Ino's grateful squeeze, as a tear fell onto his shorts, leaving a tiny stain on the cloth. "He must feel like I don't love him, Cho."

Chouji eased away enough to see her face, and putting his curled finger under her chin, raised her delicate face up to look at his.

"Don't you ever say that, Ino. Just because you're fighting does not mean that's how you feel at heart. Our Shika's got the biggest brain in Konoha, he'll know that too."

She let out the hint of a laugh as the Akimichi watched her wipe the tears from her beautiful, blue eyes. To his surprise, the despair that seemed to have a definite hold on her face slackened, and was quickly replaced by resolve.

"I have to go and find Shika; I need to let him know things will okay from now on." She tried to untangle herself from Chouji, carefully so as not to make him think that his help was unappreciated.

However, it wouldn't do for her to rush off all flustered without any idea of what she needed to say. Chouji gently caught hold of her arm as she tried to stand up, pulling her back down to sit next to him. To her surprise, Chouji planted a quick kiss on her smooth, pink lips.

"Cho, I need to go and find Shika-" He silenced her with a tender finger placed over her mouth.

"I'm glad that you want to go and fix things with Shikamaru, but there's no point in going until you know what you're going to say, is there? Now, what exactly is the problem; what causes you to fight with him?" He asked giving her time to try and formulate her sentences.

He needed Shikamaru to hear this now; Ino probably wouldn't be as honest and sincere in her feelings later on as she was about to be. It wasn't as if she would mean it any less; it would have just given her time to decorate and stylise her words instead of the raw, clutching explanation she was going to give to him.

As if in a rehearsed play, Chouji just caught glimpse of a slightly sloughed, bristly-haired shadow making it's way past the window, and into the house. He would have to personally thank him after all this, for arriving home when he did.

Now, if he was smart, as everyone knew Shikamaru was, then he would listen to what was going on before he barged in and catch the vital part of the conversation that is meant for _his _ears.

"Okay, I think I've got it…" Ino stated, making sure Chouji was alert and ready.

"It's because of his habits. I think he needs to be a bit more considerate around the house, after all we live here too, you know? I know that he doesn't do it intentionally, but when I tell him off about it he doesn't really take it as if he's doing anything wrong, like it's not aimed at him.

"For example, if he pours sake on the clothes I had just washed, or if he leaves things in places where they'll become a problem. I know it's just tiny issues, and now that I think about it they weren't even worth fighting over, but they add up, and it irritates me that he can't see what's wrong with doing those things. I really love him, I do, but when he does it over and over again it pushes me to a point where I get so frustrated that I end up screaming at him."

"To put it into a single sentence, I want him to be more considerate in our house. It'll make life easier, for you and me, if he can become a bit less lazy and make more of an effort to keep things tidy. That's all it is, Cho." She took a breath, having finished what her explanation.

"It would have made our lives a lot easier, Princess, if you'd have told me that in the first place." Shikamaru said as he appeared in the dimly-lit doorway.

Ino jumped at the unexpected comment; Chouji was overtaken with relief.

"Shika! I was just coming out to find you. I'm sorry-"

"From what I've just heard, it's me who should be sorry. I honestly didn't realise I was causing you so much trouble, Ino; I guess I'm just too used to living with my troublesome Mother. Being untidy at her house is just a small mercy compared to what she puts me through." Shikamaru let loose a shudder at the mere thought of his mother, which made Ino laugh.

Chouji was glad; they'd been unable to be near each other only about half an hour ago, it was like that had never happened.

"And I promise, I'll be more of a team player from now on." He said with a smile on his face. He walked into the room, and paused to sit next to the pair. Before his behind could hit the seat, Ino had got hold of his waist and pulled him into her lap. She gave him a squeeze from behind, to show him her appreciation o what he'd just said. His elbow was digging into Chouji's side, but he didn't mention it. It would be unfair to spoil their private reconciliation.

After a few moments, Ino gestured for Shikamaru to stand up. He sat down beside her and attempted to sling a bony arm around her shoulder, but she was up before he had chance.

"Where are you going, Ino? Chouji asked.

She didn't answer, but placed her hands at the bottom of her yellow, tearstained shirt. With one smooth motion, the shirt was over her head, and on the floor by her feet. She turned to face them, in only her underwear, and grabbed their hands.

"Well, now that that's sorted, I'm going to bed. Are you two coming with? She bent over slightly to entice them further, before running playfully out of the room, and up the stairs to the bedroom. With a grin, Shikamaru looked back to the Akimichi before chasing after her, knowing that he would follow them.

Before getting up, Chouji let out a hearty laugh.

He was more than glad that they were on friendly terms again.

- -

Just something I felt like writing when I was having a bad day. I hope you like it! :)


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